Falling into You
by Weasley is my King
Summary: Ginny's been admiring from afar since as long as she can remember. It's Harry's last year at Hogwarts and the pressure is on for Ginny to work up the courage to tell him what he needs to hear. The question is, is it entirely too late? Please read & review
1. Introductions

Falling into You  
_By Weasley is My King_

Chapter One

"What are you doing out here," she heard a voice call out to her. She averted her gaze from the dark body of water before her to the shadow cast next to her own sitting figure. She knew that voice. How could she not? It was only the voice she had dreamt of hearing for as long as she could remember. She could recall romanticizing and hoping that his voice would find its way to her waiting ears to confess his love for her. Unfortunately, his voice never came, and neither did his confession. It never would.

To him, she was nothing. To her, though, he was everything, but that meant nothing as well.

"I should ask you the same thing," she replied coolly.

He smiled broadly and stood tall. He took a few more steps in her direction and stopped. That was when he realized she had been crying. He heard her sniffle softly and saw her arms move to her face. Her hands quickly wiped away fresh, stubborn tears and she pushed her ginger bangs behind her ears, only for them to fall back into her face.

He slowly sat down next to her, close enough for their legs to touch. Her arms hugged her knees close to her slender frame and he didn't say a word. He simply watched her stare straight ahead into the vast, starlit night. She seemed a million miles away. Her eyes were glassy, indicating that she was thinking about something else entirely. _What am I doing here_, he wondered.

"Harry," a third voice called out to the night.

Harry cringed and turned to look. It was Lara, his latest on-again-off-again significant other. The classically beautiful Lara, whom basically all unattached, and even the many attached, males at school would kill to have the opportunity to call her their own. Lara, the American exchange student who seemed to excel at anything thrown in front of her. Lara, whom made friends almost immediately after arrival. Lara, the confident young woman who even had Draco Malfoy wrapped around her perfect finger. Lara, whom Ginny could not stand from the moment they met. Perfect Lara, whom had the perfect man, in Ginny's eyes, within reach since the moment she laid eyes on him.

"Harry," she called again.

"Wait here," he whispered to Ginny. She could feel his warm breath on her neck. He had leaned so close to her. She had been surprised by the intimacy of those two words. She thought seriously about waiting as he slowly stood up and sauntered over to his beautiful girlfriend, not looking back once.

"There you are," Lara's straight white teeth gleamed under the low lighting of the lights of the school.

Harry smiled in return and leaned in to kiss the corner of her mouth. Lara swiftly wrapped her slender arms around his neck and pulled him close to kiss his lips. Harry didn't resist, and why should he, Lara was his girlfriend.

"You found me," he shrugged and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She snuggled close to him as she breathed in the way he smelled.

"It's so beautiful out tonight," she commented and stopped walking. Lara wrapped her arms around his waist loosely and rested her head on his chest. Harry enveloped her with his own arms and kissed her forehead lightly. "Let's stay out here; I'm sure no one will even miss us from the party, let alone know we're gone."

Harry looked to the lake.

"What were you doing down there anyway," Lara asked.

"Thinking," he answered quickly, "thinking about how beautiful you look tonight." _Good save_, he thought.

Lara let go of him and walked further away from the school and out towards the dark, empty courtyard. "Why, Mr. Potter, did you just feed me a line?" She smiled seductively at him.

"Perhaps," he responded with a smirk as he followed after her, suddenly feeling as though he might lose control, "but can I help it if my girlfriend is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen?"

Lara shrugged with a smile, "I guess not." She looked at him with big, vulnerable eyes and pouty lips. "Come here, you," she said as she sat down in her white skirt on the grass.

Harry finally reached Lara. He too sat down on the grass next to her. Lara did not wait long at all to turn her face to his and touch her lips to his. She then turned her whole body to face his, all the while looping her arms around his neck once more. Harry quickly engaged in the acts his female counterpart had started and began to rub her back.

Soon enough, Harry's cape was laid beneath them and the black fleece jacket that she had taken from Harry a few weeks ago was thrown into a heap a few feet away from where they were. Harry's hand had found its way to the hem of Lara's white, off-the-shoulder shirt that was pushed up passed her pierced navel, a secret her parents had yet to find out. His lips only left hers for her neck a couple of times.

"Harry," Lara leaned upward, resting on her elbows and pushing Harry away for the moment.

"Yeah," he said huskily.

Lara smiled broadly, took Harry's hand and squeezed it quickly. "I think I'm ready."

He didn't need to be told twice. Harry had been waiting since they had first started dating to hear that. Mostly, though, after the previous weekend's activities, he needed to hear those words. It's about bloody time, he thought. He'd been ready a while ago; it seemed as though his body reacted her hers immediately, and she knew it. After they had started dating, she began to tease him by prancing around the common room in semi-revealing clothing, making him jealous that even the guys in the Gryffindor house who weren't dating her could see as much as he could at any given time. She also liked to touch his inner thigh "on accident" during class or just hanging out in the common room. And most recently, she had been putting a stop to their heated, passion and lust filled make-out sessions.

Upon hearing her words, Harry's body surged with hormones and he hastily devoured her lips once again. Lara ran her manicured nails through his hair as Harry's hand slipped up her shirt and began to massage her right breast as he then moved to lightly suck on her neck. This was it-- for both of them. They had both spent quite a bit of time fanaticizing about how this moment would be, and now it was here. They had begun peeling their clothes off when Harry stopped abruptly and sat up. For some reason, he couldn't go through with it. At least not there.

There they were, scantily clad and in the middle of a courtyard at night; Lara in a white lace strapless bra that left little to the imagination, and a pair of matching lace bikini cut panties; and Harry in a thin, tight fitting undershirt and a pair of blue plaid boxer shorts. Lara stared at Harry, wondering what possessed him to stop what he was doing. When she turned her head to see what had captured his attention, she suddenly wished she hadn't.

Directly behind them stood a very disappointed and visibly shocked Ginny Weasley. Lara quickly reached for her shirt and covered up her chest while Harry got off of her and just stared at Ginny. That is, until she turned and ran towards the school.

Lara put on her shirt and shook her head. She leaned over to kiss Harry's cheek before she leaned unnecessarily over his body to grab her skirt. "Thank Merlin we stopped," she sighed, standing up and zipping her just-beyond-the-knee length skirt. She sat down next to Harry once again. When he didn't react, she began to gather his clothing.

"I mean, what the hell was she doing there just staring at us?"

Harry shook his head and ran his hands through his already missed-up hair. He turned his shirt right-side-out and just before putting it on, he kissed Lara's cheek lightly. "We didn't want to do it on the grass anyway," he said, rationalizing their interruption. He stood to put his pants back on. "Lar, I've got to get back inside."

Lara looked up at him questioningly. "Okay," she said, "sure, I can just walk in behind you all by myself. Yeah, that sounds like a _great _idea, Harry."

"Right," he said with a nod.

Lara stood and placed her hands on her hips. She might as well have been tapping her foot. Harry just stared at her. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Lara set off towards the school by herself. Harry hurriedly bent down, grabbed his cape and fleece jacket, then took off jogging after Lara. When he reached her, he apologized, offered his hand for her to hold, and leaned in to kiss her neck softly. She smiled smugly and they walked inside hand-in-hand.

And when they entered the common room, and even when Harry's eyes locked with Ginny's, he dropped his cape and jacket on a nearby chair then gave Lara a kiss that made at least half the girls in the room jealous. He didn't think about the way Ginny was feeling once for the remainder of the night, for he was attached to Lara.

x

**Author's Note:  
**Hi! _waves_ Thanks for reading this first chapter. This is new territory for me here. I'm definitely a fan of Harry/Ginny, but my forte is writing Ron/Hermione fan fiction. I guess I just wanted to thank all of you who read the first chapter and actually thought it was okay. I'd really love it if you'd hit the little button down there and submit a review. Maybe you could tell me what you'd like to see happen, anything I could improve on, or just a praise… maybe even a flame. Whatever, just let me know what you're thinking!! Oh, and if you wanted to read any Ron/Hermione stuff, you can just click on my name and it'll take you where you wanna be!! Thanks!!  
_Kate_


	2. Miss Independent

**Falling into You  
**_By Weasley is My King_

Chapter Two

"Gin, what happened to you the other night?" Ginny was shaken from her reverie with the sound of a friendly female voice.

Hermione was sitting across from her at the gigantic wooden table with a warm smile on her face and a glass of pumpkin juice in front of her. Just as Ginny was about to say something, her brother, Ron, approached the table and placed a light kiss on Hermione's cheek. He looked like he was still half-asleep. He put heaping spoonfuls of breakfast food onto his plate while Hermione just grabbed a bran muffin and began to make bite-size pieces out of it.

"Hiya, Gin," Ron mumbled, stuffing food into his mouth.

"Morning, Ron," Ginny smiled slightly.

"Honestly," Hermione said, quickly popping a piece of her muffin in her mouth, "what was the deal? You disappeared on all of us."

"Morning all," Lara's voice floated through the air and to the three pairs of ears already at the table. Ron didn't even turn his head. Hermione forced a smile and nudged Ron, telling him to say hello once they sat down. Lara smiled at the three of them and sat down next to Ginny. Ginny stared at the muffin in front of her and mumbled something that resembled a 'good morning.'

Lara reached out in front of her to pour herself a glass of pumpkin juice and placed a muffin in front of her. Despite the fact that Ron was perfectly content being with Hermione and despite the fact that he did think she was beautiful, he didn't miss the fact that Lara's shirt was unbuttoned way lower than both Hermione and Ginny's shirts. He wondered to himself why she wasn't wearing a vest. And when she leaned across the table, the mystery of Lara's breasts weren't such a mystery to Ron nor Hermione anymore.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked, glancing quickly at Ginny.

"He was right behind me," she said, taking a sip of her juice. She looked up, towards the door and pointed. "He's right there." Her smile brightened and she ran a few fingers through her long blonde hair

Ginny looked up as well and spotted him. Oh, how could she still find him so amazingly good looking? She was supposed to be upset. But how could she be upset when his cool green eyes gleamed when he smiled in the general direction of the table? How could she be upset when his raven hair was so perfectly messy that she just wanted to run her fingers through it? How could she be upset when his body was so amazingly flawless, those broad shoulders, that strong jaw line. Oh, how she wanted to be his someone special.

When Harry was about halfway to the table, Ginny took one last sip of her pumpkin juice, grabbed an apple from the table and stood. "I just remembered that I forgot something back in my room," she lied, looking at Hermione.

"But we-"

"We can talk later," Ginny said, looking at her as if to tell her to just let it go. "I'll see you lot later."

"Bye, Ginny," Lara waved with a sweet smile.

Ginny walked quickly, deciding quickly where to look; she wondered whether or not to look at the floor. If she looked at the floor, would it indicate that she was running away from something? And what if she looked straight ahead? Would that give off the appearance that she was a confident, self-assured young woman? She hoped so. With her book bag slung across her torso and an apple in her hand, she plastered a smile on her lips and brushed her bangs our of her eyes so they swept to one side and almost behind her ear. Harry approached her with smile, like she thought he might, so she smiled in return, but as he passed her, without saying a word, he winked. The smile dropped from her face as she rolled her eyes at him. The youngest Weasley didn't look back, but if she had, she would have smiled triumphantly because the rolling of her eyes had caught his attention. Although he kept walking, he turned his head to watch her walk out of the Great Hall without a smile on his face.

**.:x:.**

Ginny was sitting at a table in the common room quietly doing her homework. She had changed her clothes from her class robes to a pair of sweat pants and a red shirt that showed just a strip of her stomach. She had a quill in her hand as she reread what she had just written when she heard loud laughter enter the common room. For the most part, everyone else was doing something quietly or hanging out somewhat far away from her, so she knew it was people just entering the room. When she paid closer attention to the voices, she knew that it was indeed Harry and Lara. Of course it was, they were all she ever seemed to see or hear. It was if they were just there to drive her mad.

By the time they had entered the room, Ginny had glanced up to confirm it was them and quickly returned to her homework. Lara noticed her when she was walking passed the table Ginny was sitting at. Immediately, she dove into conversation, completely ignoring the fact that Ginny was trying extremely hard to pay no attention to her standing there talking. Lara must have commented on the clothes Ginny was wearing because she suddenly disappeared up the stairs and didn't return right away.

Shortly after Lara left her, Harry approached the table and sat down across from her. He didn't say anything at first, he just simply stared. That is, until Ginny dropped her quill and stared at him with a bored look on her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked coldly.

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug and leaned back in his chair, "you tell me."

"What do you want, Harry?" she asked uninterestedly, actually leaning forward on the table.

That was when Harry leaned closer to the table and towards her. He ran a hand through his unruly hair and Ginny really took notice of his appearance. His red and yellow striped tie was loosely tied around his neck and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. She could see his white undershirt beneath. His green eyes bored into hers and she felt her adrenaline kick in. "What's your problem?"

"What?" Ginny asked, stunned at his candor.

"Hey, Gin," Hermione waved with Ron attached to her other hand, interrupting the conversation taking place at the moment. "Are you busy? I wanted to talk to you about something quickly."

"_Actually_," Harry interjected rather forcefully, "she and I are having a conversation at the moment; perhaps you can talk to her when I'm finished."

Hermione's eyebrows raised as her face exuded defeat. She nodded silently and walked away quickly with Ron. At that moment, Harry grabbed her wrist and led her towards the hallway. Ginny protested at first but decided to just compile to his request for the time being. They ended up in an empty hallway. Harry looked her up and down noticeably with a smirk on his face, somewhat offending Ginny, causing her to pull on the hem of her shirt to cover her now exposed navel. She suddenly felt extremely self-aware and uncomfortable.

"Um," she stammered, "what did you ask me?"

Harry shook his head to gather his thoughts. "I asked you what your problem is."

Ginny let out a laugh. "_My_ problem?" she asked, "You think _I_ have a problem?"

He just raised his eyebrows and shrugged, indicating that he did indeed think she had a problem. "Well?" she asked, prompting him to continue. "What makes you think I have a problem?"

He leaned up against the wall, and his posture made Ginny seriously want to grab him and kiss him right there. He looked so sexy. His arms were crossed and one foot was up against the wall. It took all she had not to do anything she would regret later, and grabbing him was in that category.

"You seem to be avoiding me, you're always down at the stupid lake, sometimes crying, I haven't talked to you like we used to since I can't even remember and you always seem to be repulsed by me," he explained rather harshly. "What the hell is your problem?"

Ginny was torn. She was relieved that he had noticed she was upset, but at the same time, she was angry that he had the audacity to approach her and so bluntly accuse her of having a "problem". For a moment, her face softened, setting Harry at ease that he had cracked her, but when she saw a cocky smile cross his face, her face hardened.

"You know what?" she asked rhetorically, "You and I aren't friends, okay? You talk to me because you're best friends with my brother. We don't hang out except for quidditch and when we're in the common room, and that's only because we're in the same house. You don't tell me your secrets and I don't tell you mine. We are not friends," she annunciated slowly and clearly. She saw the smile quickly leave his face and he stood up straight, getting off of the wall behind him. "So, whatever _problem_ I have is none of your concern."

"Ginny-"

"No," she said, shaking her head quickly and holding up a hand to silence him. "Did you not understand? We're done here, and if you ever confront me like that again, I will hex you."

Harry was stunned silent. Her light brown eyes were filled with anger, and that anger was directed at him. He had never, ever heard her so upset. Then again, he'd never seen her look so sexy before either. Ginny turned to walk away but he called her name to stop her. She did stop and she did turn around, but only to glare at him. He didn't know what possessed him to stop her because he didn't have anything to say, but he did, and there was no going back now.

He said nothing.

She rolled her eyes. "It's too bad you're so arrogant. I never really saw it until this year." She turned around to face him and took a few steps towards him again. "And to think I stood up for you when people accused you of being arrogant…," she placed a hand on his cheek. "I was a stupid, stupid girl." And with that, she turned around and walked back to the common room with a proud smile adorning her face and not looking back once.

.:x:.

**Author's Note:**  
I just wanted to thank everyone for their reviews. :) And i'd really, really appreciate if you'd do it again! there's just a little button down there. all you have to do is say you liked it, say you hated it. Whatever! Speak yo' mind! Lol Thanks in advance!!  
Kisses, _Kate_


	3. Let the Games Begin

**Falling into You  
**_By Weasley is my King_

Chapter Three

Ron and Hermione were sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, both with a book in front of them. Actually, Hermione was reading while Ron was playing a game of wizard's chess with anyone who wanted to lose. Every so often, Hermione would look at him and roll her eyes, but it had gotten to the point that he no longer cared. She also knew that he would eventually finish his homework, with her help of course.

Generally, the two tried to avoid the topic of Harry and Ginny's relationship, whatever it may have been. They also tried to avoid the topic of Lara and Harry's relationship because it just seemed to upset Hermione, not to mention the fact that Ron didn't particularly like Lara because of the way Harry's attitude seemed to have changed upon dating her. Unfortunately for them, Lara was sitting on the other end of the couch in a tank top, which Hermione thought absurd because it was a little chilly that day, and the tightest pair of sweatpants she had ever seen.

It had been quite a while since they had seen Harry grab Ginny's wrist and drag her into the hallway. Ron had suggested they spy on them, just to see what was going on, but Hermione had shook her head and told him to begin his homework. Needless to say they didn't go. Once Lara had come down from upstairs, obviously changing her clothes, she had insisted that she sit with Ron and Hermione. She wondered aloud where her boyfriend was and then inquired where Ginny was. She had even let slip the fact that she thought Ginny was trying to steal him away from her. She had chosen to use colorful words to describe the younger Weasley. Ron clenched his fists but refrained from flying off the handle as well as physically attacking her.

Hermione calmly reasoned that of course Ginny wasn't trying to steal Harry away from her, for she had given up on him a long time ago. She also explained that it was Harry who took hold of her arm and took her to the hallway, so Ginny wasn't the least bit guilty. Lara didn't care to hear, she simply rolled her eyes.

Ginny strolled into the common room and over to the table she had been sitting at before the interruption of Lara and Harry. At first, she found it difficult to focus on her homework while her brain was still reeling from completely dominating the conversation and confronting Harry about his arrogance. To say the least, she was proud of herself. She scanned the room quickly and spotted who she was looking for. She smiled at the sight: her brother sitting next to Hermione with his arm wrapped around her shoulders as she snuggles close to him with a book in her hands; they looked so perfectly content.

"Fabulous," Lara's voice dripped with sugary sweetness, "You're back, now where's my boyfriend," she asked, making it clear that Harry was indeed her boyfriend.

Ginny smiled sweetly in return. "I don't know," she shrugged innocently, "I left him in the hallway, like, three minutes ago," she told her. "Maybe you should go look for him. His big head probably makes it hard to walk."

Lara smiled sweetly again, although visibly upset that Ginny would talk to her that way. She did nothing to deserve the way Harry's friends treated her. It was ridiculous to think that both Hermione and Ginny disliked her for no reason. She had been nothing but nice to them and yet she still received bitter sentiments from Ginny and vibes of uncertainty from Hermione. She had done nothing but include and be friendly to them and they still didn't like her. That just wouldn't do. Not at all.

Lara quickly turned on her heel and headed towards the portrait to look for Harry. With Lara gone, Hermione stood up from the couch and joined Ginny at her table.

"What are you smiling about?" Hermione asked with a smile as well. "Lara and Harry didn't break up, did they?"

Ginny laughed but shook her head. "Better," she said. "I just kicked Harry's ass."

Hermione looked concerned. "Literally?" she asked, seriously wondering if Ginny was both capable of beating him up and if she would actually do it. She came to the conclusion that Ginny was undeniably able to beat him up and with any rage or bad sentiments towards him, she would definitely beat him up.

Ginny's smile suddenly fell and her eyes showed she was concerned as well. "Oh, of course not," she shook her head. "I just told him he was… a little bit too… confident?"

"Oh, Ginny," Hermione said, looking sad. "What did you say to him?"

Ginny picked up her quill and looked down at her homework. "Don't worry about it, Hermione." She then turned a page in the book that was in front of her. "you know, I thought you'd be the one person who would actually agree with me saying something to him; don't you think he's conceited?"

Hermione looked at Ron quickly and then at the book in front of Ginny. "Lately, I do have to agree with you. He has been rather… arrogant."

"Thank you," she muttered.

There seemed to be an awkward silence looming in the air around them. They rarely had these moments, and it made both of them uncomfortable to have created that silence. Hermione remembered that she had been meaning to tell Ginny something from the party the previous weekend. She remembered that Ginny had disappeared for a couple hours only returning to say goodnight to everyone. This was it, this was what Hermione had wanted to talk to Ginny about in the first place. Now was a perfect time to do so.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you something," Hermione offered. Ginny looked up and dropped her quill. She looked at Hermione expectedly; her eyebrows were arched and she had a hint of a smile on her face. "Dean Thomas was looking for you on Saturday night."

"Dean Thomas my ex-boyfriend Dean Thomas?" Ginny asked, her smile fading.

"How many other Dean Thomases do you know?" Hermione asked jokingly. "I just thought I'd tell you because he said something about you looking lovely and whether or not I had seen you because he had been looking for you for a while and wanted to talk to you."

"Dean and I?" Ginny asked, her nose wrinkled a little bit. "Again? Do you think that's a good idea?"

Hermione looked at Ron longingly inadvertently. Ginny smiled and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. She cleared her throat, trying to gently recapture her attention. Hermione snapped back to reality and smiled.

"Don't you miss that?" Hermione asked softly.

Ginny thought for a moment. She did miss looking at someone with such adoration and knowing that the other would look back the same way. If Ginny had a favorite boyfriend, it would have been Dean. He was always considerate of Ginny and made it known he loved being around her. She shook her head, getting back to her original question. Whether or not she missed being part of a relationship was not the question. The question was whether or not she and Dean would work again. The question was if it did happen, how would it work because she was still so wrapped up about Harry.

"That's beside the point, Hermione," Ginny said, placing her hands in her lap. "The point is that I'm not sure Dean and I could work."

Hermione looked shocked. "Of course you guys could work!" she exclaimed. "He adores you!"

Ginny bit her lip. She couldn't keep the secret any longer. Hermione was one of the very, very few people she could actually talk to about personal issues. She surprised herself by the amount of time she had kept the fact that she had feelings for Harry again to herself for so long.

"I'm gonna tell you something very important and you've got to swear you won't tell as soul," Ginny whispered, leaning across the table to get closer to Hermione. Hermione's eyes widened and she too leaned in.

"What is it?"

"This is absolutely ridiculous, but I can't keep it to myself anymore," she explained, "I'm completely head-over-heels for Harry again."

Hermione's smile fell immediately as she leaned back in her chair. Okay, so that wasn't the reaction Ginny had been hoping for. It was okay, though, people didn't have to jump with joy upon hearing news like that. It would have been nice if she had been excited, but then again, you can't win them all. Ginny sighed and shook her head. When Hermione didn't say anything right away, Ginny leaned back in her chair and pulled her long red hair up into a messy ponytail.

Hermione finally spoke. "You're not serious," she stated, hoping that if she said it, it would make it come true.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes I'm serious, Hermione." She sighed heavily. "And seeing he and Lara together is driving me mad. I don't know what to do."

Hermione ran a hand through her wavy brown hair. She shot one more glance towards Ron, who was now sitting with Dean Thomas. She leaned in close to Ginny and spoke very softly. "I can't believe I'm about to say this because it is my firm belief that you can make yourself happy, but you've gotta get yourself a boyfriend, if for nothing else to keep your mind off of Harry." She paused for a moment, "He's with Lara right now whether we like it or not. She could have sprouted devil horns and he wouldn't see it. I am telling you to give Dean another chance."

Ginny's jaw dropped.

"Hear me out, Gin," she reasoned, "Dean's a good mate and he adores you. Give him another chance, and if I know Harry, it'll drive him mad." That's when Ginny smiled. "Don't smile like that, you're not going to date Dean to make him jealous-"

"It'll just be a bonus," Ginny interjected.

"Exactly," Hermione nodded with a proud smile. "Wait, no! You need to take your mind off of Harry and Lara, and if you have someone to occupy your time, it'll achieve that goal." She paused again. "I'm finished with this conversation."

Ginny was quiet for a moment, and then a coy smiled appeared on her face. "Thank you for this, Hermione."

**.:x:.**

**Author's Note:** Please review! I wanted to thank y'all for all of your comments and I really appreciate all of your reviews. Thank you in advance! kate


	4. Under My Skin

**Falling into You  
**_By Weasley is my King_

**Chapter Four**

Harry had left the spot that he and Ginny had been in. He was wandering the hallways, trying to figure out why his mind and body were acting so haywire. One moment, he'd think critically about ending it with Lara just so see what would become of a relationship between Little Ole Ginny and himself, and the next, he'd quickly rule that option out and call himself crazy for thinking of dropping Lara for such a "mediocre" choice. At the same time though, he would hear his brain call Ginny a mediocre choice and quickly refute that point with the fact that not only was she nice looking as well, but she was interested in quidditch, was very intelligent, understood his sense of humor, and had been there through his struggles. He would remind himself that she had been a constant in his life, and the mere thought of losing her because of his recent behavior made him reconsider ending everything he had with his beautiful American girlfriend.

He wandered the halls for a few minutes after the confrontation between himself and Ginny, not once stopping for anyone. He finally made his way back to the common room, completely unaware of the fact that his girlfriend had been in hot pursuit of him. As soon as he entered the common room, he spotted his two closest friends, Ron and Hermione, sitting in front of the fire on the couch sharing a laugh. Beside them a few feet away were the redhead who had just threatened to hex him and one of his roommates. It didn't phase him at all, for he had seen them together far too many times to count. They were close together and Ginny was twirling her ginger hair on her fingertips with a sweet smile gracing her face. When Harry sat down on the couch on the other side of Hermione with a sigh, Hermione quickly cast a glance in the direction of Ginny and Dean.

It took a moment for anyone to say something, but Ron, probably the most comedic out of the three of them, broke the ice.

"Look at my sister," he exclaimed, seeing his sister in such close proximity to Dean once again and watching her visibly flirt with him right in front of his face. He actually held out his hand to point at them.

Hermione looked horrified. She swiftly grabbed his hand and held it in her lap. "Have a nice walk, Harry?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "It was all right," he told them.

Then, very quickly, he turned his head to see where Ron's finger had just been pointing. At the sight, his eyes widened and his body filled with heat. He thought he felt his feet start to move against his better judgment. He thought he felt his fists clench and his breathing seem to shorten. Just as he thought he felt himself begin to stand, he heard an exasperated voice say his name.

"Harry," she said, "there you are!"

A smile crossed his face as Lara sat on the arm of the couch next to him. She wrapped her arm possessively around his neck and then fiddled with his hair on h. He stretched his body to sit very tall to place a kiss on her rosy cheek. She smiled and kissed his lips playfully. It wasn't long before the pecking on the lips between the two had launched into a lip lock where Lara had fallen purposely into his lap from the arm of the couch and hung her arms around his neck. Hermione rolled her eyes and glared at Ron, who had conveniently returned to his homework. Hermione crossed her arms, glanced over to where Ginny was sitting with Dean Thomas and cleared her throat politely. Apparently, she would have to graduate from the clearing of the throat and move onto something much bigger and better. Something drastic that would grab Harry's attention and stop, for the love of Merlin, the constant public displays of affection between Lara, the hormonal exchange student, and Harry, the brainwashed suitor of the aforementioned.

"What's that, Ginny?" she called out of the blue. Upon hearing her name, Ginny looked at Hermione with her eyebrows furrowed. "You'd like to speak to Harry for a moment? …Privately?"

Like she had planned, Hermione watched as Harry pulled away from Lara and leaned around Lara to look at Ginny, who looked absolutely flabbergasted. When Ginny noticed Harry gazing at her, Ginny smirked and turned back to Dean. Lara took that as a sign of dismissal and tried to resume their previous activity, however, Harry was not ready to do so. He gently pushed at Lara's legs as to signal to her to get off of him. She obliged with a huff and was visibly outraged when she watched him stand from the couch and approach Ginny and Dean.

"You wanted to speak to me?" he asked lamely as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Ginny smiled crookedly and held up her index finger to indicate one second or one minute, he wasn't sure which one. She leaned across the table she and Dean were sitting at and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She whispered something in his ear, Harry wasn't sure what, and then slowly stood up. She walked a few feet away from Dean and put her hands on her hips.

"So," Harry stammered uncomfortably.

Ginny simply sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, so," she said slowly. "I did want to speak to you."

Harry raised his eyebrows expectantly, as to say, "well?"

Ginny raised her index finger once again but made a motion to tell him to follow her as she led the way to an empty stairwell. She leaned against the brick wall and looked at Harry with a newfound vulnerability in her eyes. Her pink lips were kind of pouty, her cheeks were rosy and her body language was reminding Harry how much he wanted to kiss her right then. She made the same motion as she did before with her finger, telling him to move closer. He kept moving closer, but closer didn't seem to be close enough for her. He felt his body fill with a warm, tingly feeling and he quickly thought about how cliché this moment was becoming.

"What, uh," he cleared his throat and taking a small step backwards, "What did you, er, want to, uh, talk to me about?"

This time, Ginny leaned her head away from the brick and close the small gap between them with a small step so her face was only centimeters from Harry's face. She leaned in even closer to whisper in his ear. "Nothing," she confessed.

Harry ran a shaky hand through his hair and looked around the stairwell, obviously extreme uncomfortable. The fact that Ginny could tell he was so uncomfortable made the moment all the more fun for her. She moved to whisper in his other ear, "What's wrong, Harry?"

He ran his hand through his hair again. "Nothing, I'm, uh, I'm great. Fine. I'm great."

Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck this time and placed an amazingly light kiss on the side of Harry's neck. And then once again on his jaw line. And one more time on the corner of his mouth. Harry sighed deeply and instinctively wrapped his arms loosely around her waist at first. Without thinking about what was happening, he turned his head a little bit and began to kiss her lips lightly. The loop around her waist was tightening around her and she suddenly felt a sense of pride fill her. This was what she had been dreaming about. She finally had herself under Harry's skin, something she had never pictured actually happening. Harry's arms loosened once more around her and one hand had tangled itself in her ginger hair. Her better judgment got the best of her, for she felt a pang of guilt rush through her. She knew what they were doing was wrong. Not matter how much she disliked Lara. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to Dean either. On instinct, she pulled away from him and licked her lips, running her hands through her hair.

"Wha-"

"We shouldn't-" she began.

"You're right-" he agreed.

"This isn't-"

"I know-"

"I- we- you- can't-" she struggled to put words together. It was those lips. And those eyes. And that hair. Everything in her body was telling her yes, but her mind was telling her now. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to forget about everything about him that was driving her manic.

"This isn't-" she tried again. This time though, it wasn't because she couldn't fit her words together, it was because Harry had thrown caution to the wind and brought his lips back to hers. Ginny resisted at first but quickly gave in. Harry's hands were in her hair and on her hips. Her own fingers were entangled in his messy, raven hair.

"What in the _bloody hell _is going on here?"

Ginny and Harry separated at warp speed. Ginny blushed violently as Harry avoided the intruder's eyes. Everything happened so quickly, and that was why all three people standing in relatively close proximity were so surprised when Ginny's hand raised and slapped Harry across the face. His jaw dropped, her hand clamped over her own mouth and she bolted. The intruder, her own brother, was appalled. He looked at Harry, his former best friend, and then out to the common room to Hermione, his girlfriend. He was surprised to find her standing only a few feet behind him. He looked at her for only a moment before she followed after Ginny, telling her to slow down and just tell her what happened. Oddly enough, Lara was no where to be found.

Ron wasn't sure what had gotten to the point of no return, but he had taken a few steps closer to Harry and felt his fist connect with Harry's face. "That's my _sister!" _he shouted.

**.:x:.**

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it took me so long. I got all of your reviews requesting more but i've been so busy lately that this had to take a backseat for a while. So, once again. I'm sorry. Finals are just about over so i'll have more time to write again and the holidays were so crazy that i have hardly had time. But never fear, i'm back and ready to get this going again!! Please continue to review because i love all of your comments!  
_xoxo, kate_


	5. And the Cheese Stands Alone

**Falling into You**

_By Weasley is my King_

**Chapter 5**

"Ginny," Hermione knocked gently on the door. The old quote from her mother rang through her head, _"you don't bang on the door of honeymooners."_ Hermione wondered why this quote chose to make itself known at this moment, especially since she hadn't thought about it since it happened, when she was five years old and her aunt was so trashed from the night of her wedding that she and her new husband almost missed their flight to the south of France. Moreover, it didn't make sense that she was thinking about it because Ginny was most definitely _not_ a honeymooner. Hermione pushed the thought from her mind with a shake of her head and knocked again on the door. This whole situation was wearing on her nerves and the fact that Ginny had locked the door to her dormitory was upsetting Hermione even more. Hermione banged on the door and shouted Ginny's name one more time before pulling out her wand, whispering _alohomora_ and unlocking the door separating the two.

"_What is going on?"_ Hermione demanded, "You lot disappear for a couple minutes, Ron starts yelling and then all of a sudden you run off to your dormitory? Somebody better tell me what's going on or I'm going to start throwing out hexes_ without_ apologizing!"

Much to Hermione's surprise, Ginny didn't seem to be in tears. Hermione had fully expected she would be, partly due to the fact that Ginny did have a tendency lately to burst into tears when things got too heavy or when she wanted sympathy. However, Ginny's face was perfectly normal: there didn't appear to be any red splotches or glassy eyes. Just Ginny, with her flawless skin and sparkling bright, brown eyes. Although she appeared to be a bit shaken, nothing was out of the ordinary. In the seconds that had lapsed from her bolting up the stairs and slamming the door to Hermione breaking and entering Ginny's dorm room, Ginny had managed to pull a sweater over her head and twist her hair in a clip to get it out of her face. Hermione waited expectantly with her hands perched on her hips, showing no mercy.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ginny said from her bed.

"You don't want to talk about it?!" Hermione exclaimed, "Guess what! I need to know what's going on, so you tell me or -- or I'll...!" Ginny had never seen Hermione look so angry.

"Excuse me," said a small yet familiar voice from the door.

Both sets of brown eyes flew to the door. Standing there was Lara with a small smile and questioning blue eyes. "What's going on," she asked.

"Where have you been?" Ginny asked with a rude undertone and seriously wondering how Lara could be so calm. After all, Ginny had just made Harry a cheater.

"I went to my room when my boyfriend ditched me," she stated matter-of-factly with a bored look. She pushed a few strands of her long blonde hair from her face.

Ginny tried to resist rolling her eyes. "hmm," she said, glancing out the window. "That's too bad."

"Now, if you don't mind me asking," Lara said, taking a bold few steps further into the room, "why were you shouting?"

"Actually, I'm not really sure what happ-" Hermione tried.

"Actually, Lara," Ginny interjected, "I do mind. This is a private matter."

Just as Lara had opened her mouth to make an equally snide comment, a first year knocked lightly on the door to grab their attention.

"Yes," Lara snapped.

The young brown haired girl looked frightened. "A red haired boy downstairs has been yelling for a while now and he asked me if I could get Ginny." Her words came out quickly and shakily. "That's you, right?" she asked to the only redhead in sight.

"Yes, it is," Ginny smiled warmly at the girl. "Thank you. I'll be right down."

The first year smiled and skipped down the hallway, presumably back to Ron to inform him that his sister would be joining him in just a moment. Ginny looked at Lara expectantly to see whether or not she had anything else to say. "Excuse me while I go speak to my brother for a moment. Whatever is going on probably doesn't interest you," she said with a faux sweetness. "Besides, wouldn't you like to go find your boyfriend? I mean, if my boyfriend ditched me for his best friend's sister, I would want to have a serious chat with him."

Ginny brushed passed Lara and walked slowly down the hallway. Hermione was on her heels, waiting to figure out exactly what happened, since no one had informed her yet. Lara sighed heavily in the background and followed a few feet behind the two girls. She stomped down the stairs and over to Ron.

"What's going on," she wondered in a harsh tone. "And where is Harry?"

Ron's ears turned red and he blushed in fury. Just hearing that name, he thought, made him want to hit him again. "I don't know where he went. After I punched him in the face, I lost track of him."

"You did _what?" _all three girls asked.

"You hit him?" Ginny asked.

"How could you punch him, Ronald?" Hermione insisted.

"What did he do to deserve that?!" Lara glared at Ron. "You are all crazy!" she walked quickly out of the common room and out to the hallway to search for Harry… once again. She seemed to have a problem of losing him lately. If she had to keep looking for him, she'd never get anything accomplished.

Ron looked horribly flustered, angered and confused all at the same time. He stared at his baby sister in complete and utter shock. Hermione had no idea what Ron had seen, what had possessed him to hit his best friend or why he was looking at Ginny the way he was. She hated being out of the know and this whole situation was way beyond anything she had ever thought would happen. None of this was supposed to happen. Catastrophic events happen when there are ulterior motives!

"Will someone _please _tell me what just happened?" she demanded.

Ron collapsed into a chair around the table where Ginny's homework was still spread out. Hermione made a point to sit down too, in a chair next to him, and fold her hands together above the table, patiently waiting for someone to answer her question. Ginny sat down as well and just sat quietly until Ron had found the words he wanted to say.

"Gin, I'm sorry," Ron said slowly. This surprised her; why did he need to apologize? Shouldn't she have to apologize for the fact that he had walked in on the two of them fully sucking face in the empty stairwell leading to the boys' dormitories? "Harry's been acting weird lately and I'm sorry that he…" Ron couldn't exactly finish. Just the fact that Harry would do such a thing seemed far too unbelievable to even utter the words. "It was wrong of him to kiss you."

Hermione gasped. _No way._

"I kissed him too," Ginny said softly with a shrug. Oh, this conversation was getting more and more bizarre by the moment. If there was anything she didn't want to do at that moment, it was speak to her brother about her experiences with boys, especially experiences with Harry.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, still being ignored, "what?"

"He's been acting weird and he shouldn't have- you _WHAT?" _Ron exclaimed.

Ginny avoided Ron's eyes and only stared at her own entangled fingers. "It wasn't his fault, Ron," she said softly. "It was mine."

"Actually," Hermione interjected, "it was mine. I mean, I was the one who sent him over there… if it wasn't for me trying to get him off of Lara- er- the other way around, he wouldn't have approached her and none of this would have happened. But he _kissed_ you? This was not the plan, Ginny! Honestly, what happened to Operation: Leave Harry Alone?"

Both Ron and Ginny hadn't even looked at Hermione. It was as though she wasn't even there. How was it, she wondered, that there seemed to be so much drama this year? Not only did they have to worry about Lord Voldemort, but they all seemed to have raging hormones clogging their better judgment. They did _not_ need this right now!

Ron sighed and shook his head. "I know, I know," Ginny said in a bored voice, "you're disappointed in me."

Ron looked into her brown eyes. "Gin, I'm not disappointed," he said quietly and in a very tired voice, "I just don't understand why you do this."

"Do what?" she asked, slightly offended.

"You just can't leave him alone," he explained. "He doesn't want you, Gin."

Hermione's jaw dropped upon hearing the words come out of her boyfriends mouth. It didn't matter if the words had any merit. There is no reason why anyone should ever have to hear that, especially from their own brother, a brother who had spent the past six years defending and looking out for them. Hermione watched yet another catastrophe unfold in front of her. Ginny's cheeks flushed as she stood up defiantly. She gathered her books, shoved them in her bag, slung it over her shoulder, cast an icy glare at Ron and quickly disappeared back to her room.

"Well," Ron said, "That went well," he said sarcastically. Hermione looked at him with an expression he couldn't read. "What?" he asked exasperatedly.

"That was a little harsh, Ron," she said softly, averting her gaze from his eyes to her unpainted fingernails.

"Well, it's true."

"That doesn't matter," she said.

"Sure it does," Ron said with a sly smile. He leaned in a little closer and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Anyway," he said, "Let's go for a walk. All of our homework's done and we have no more obligations until dinner." The thought of dinner made his stomach cringe just at the thought of the tension among everyone at the table. "Let's go," he reached for her hand. Hermione pulled away from him. _Talk about harsh_, he thought.

"You really hurt her feelings," Hermione said. "Besides, how do you know that Harry doesn't '_want_' her?"

"I- well, I'm not-" he couldn't exactly answer her question.

Hermione shook her head and stood up as well. "Think about what you just did and when you figure out who you've upset, what you've just said and the way you treated all of your friends in the passed half hour get back to me." Hermione didn't even look back as she too marched up the stairs to her own dormitory.

"And the cheese stands alone," Ron whispered to himself. "Now what am I going to do?"


	6. So, What am I so Afraid of?

**Falling into You**

_By Weasley is my King_

**Chapter Six**

****

_Life's funny,_ she thought as she wandered the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _Funny,_ she thought_, that wherever I go there seems to be drama._She didn't understand how she could keep losing track of him. How could he have disappeared with the same girl not once but twice within the past two hours. This kind of thing never happened to her. Back home Lara never had the problem of losing or misplacing her boyfriends, they were the ones losing or misplacing her. She was a free spirit, unable of settling down and having a strong, meaningful relationship with another. Her mother, a beautiful blonde witch as well, often accused her of floating through life, not caring about anything but boys, lip gloss, and more boys.

She always viewed the situation such that she was a teenage girl, she didn't need to think about "settling down" or anything of that nature. She wanted to have fun in her teen years and that was exactly what she was doing. However, since she met Harry, things changed a little bit. Strangely, she began to pursue him because he seemed to be the only one hanging back a bit. He never blatantly stared at her or tried to pick her up in class, during meal times or in passing time between classes. Harry did, however, seem to be around her when others tried all they could to win her affections. He helped her in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes as well as volunteering to go to the library with her to finish homework due to the common room being much to loud for her to concentrate.

During one of those trips to the library, Harry and Lara kept barely missing each other's eyes. He tried to focus on his potions essay while she focused on transfiguration, researching something to prove Hermione wrong, which to Harry was a lost cause. It wasn't until they caught each other looking at one another did Lara make the first move, something she never did. She leaned across the table and gave Harry a kiss. From there, the rest is history. That's why this was so strange to Lara, because she had chosen him. She had made the first move. She was looking for him. It should have been her he was looking for, he should have made the first move, and he should have chosen her.

On the way back to the library, just to reminisce the good old days, she passed a few faces, each smiling at her. She didn't really know what led her to the library, for she figured if Harry was anywhere, it wouldn't be the library, but outside down by the lake or on the quidditch pitch. Nevertheless, she wandered through the aisles and aisles of books, just looking. She sat down at the table she and Harry used to always sit at and opened one of the books already on the table. The blonde beauty leaned her head on her hand and began to stare at the words before her. She was in complete silence, beginning to finally feel at ease and she almost reached peace of mind when a book slammed down on the table across from her. She lifted her head from her hand and stared at the boy in front of her.

His stormy gray eyes were staring into hers and his slicked back platinum hair gleamed slightly from the lighting in the room.

"Yes?" she asked lazily, pushing the open book aside.

"In the library again, I see," he said, pulling out the chair across from her.

"Studying," she shrugged, "you know…."

He nodded slowly and arched his eyebrows. "Studying…" he said, reaching for the book she had pushed aside, "_How to Grab a Malfoy's Attention_?" He looked back at her with a sly smile.

"You wish," she said in a bored tone and closing the book in front of him. She was just about to stand up and leave when he said something she wasn't expecting, but should have been.

"Actually, Lara, I do."

She looked back at him and decided to sit back down. "Well, you seem to have grabbed my attention," she said, crossing her legs under the table, brushing her leg against his on accident. "So, why don't you start talking?"

He smirked. He had her hooked, and in no time she would drop Potter and be his. "You've been in here an awful lot lately," he told her, "I've noticed you just sitting here the same way every time, with a book in front of you, but never turning the pages."

"Your point is…?" she asked. Why, she wondered to herself, would Draco Malfoy, nemesis of her boyfriend and basically all other Gryffindor students, watch her from afar in the library? Why hadn't he given up pursuing her after she had chosen Harry?

"My point is," he said in a calm quiet voice. "I'm wondering if it's Potter who's making you act this way."

Lara rolled her eyes. Yes, of course, she thought. It was about Harry, everything always was. "First of all, it really none of your business, and secondly, we're fine." The last part came out of her mouth fine, but once the words were out, she found herself actually questioning what she had said. They obviously weren't fine. Honestly, how many people can lose their boyfriend as many times as she had and call their relationship fine? If anyone could, great for them, she thought, but she soon came to realize that she couldn't.

"Christmas is coming up," Malfoy stated, calling Lara's attention back to him.

"What?"

"Christmas?" he said slowly, "we all go home, get presents?" He waited to see if there was any kind of comprehension. They had lift off; she shook her head and blinked, obviously slamming back to reality.

"Oh, right," she said. "Christmas. What about it?"

"It's coming up," he repeated. "Are you going back to the States?"

Lara looked around the library absentmindedly. "No," she said, still not looking at him. She knew where Harry would be, he would be with the Weasleys, and that bothered her. Although, she couldn't very well tell him to not go. If he were to stay at school, he would be by himself. If he went back to the Dursleys, he would suffer through the holidays, and she certainly didn't want that. "My parents moved to London; my father got transferred or something like that."

"Interesting," he said, nodding, possibly plotting. "Perhaps we could plan something over the holiday. Maybe you could come over to the manor and have tea or lunch or something."

"Uh huh," she nodded slowly, still staring at a bookshelf across the room. "Sounds good. Well, I'll see you later, I guess." she said, standing up and pushing in her chair. "I have to go, uh, meet Harry for dinner."

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

It seemed as though all those involved in the drama of the afternoon arrived to dinner in shifts. Harry was already at the table when Lara arrived in the Great Hall. She walked slowly towards the table with all of her fellow Gryffindors, including Harry. She wasn't wearing her usual smile, showing off her pearly whites, and her eyes weren't sparkling the way they usually did. Lara sat down at the large wooden table across from Harry wordlessly. She slowly began to spoon food on her plate, and was just about to take her first bite when Harry asked her if anything was wrong.

She looked at him with eyes he'd never seen before. He realized what that look was, it was hurt. "Listen," she said softly. "we need to talk, but I'd really appreciate it if you waited until we were in private. I'd really hate to be embarrassed and humiliated yet again today."

"I wasn't-"

All she had to do was look at him again and he stopped. "Please," she whispered. This time, he'd seen yet another thing he'd never seen from her before. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and that was enough.

Harry just nodded silently and began picking at his food again. Lara sat across from him with tears in her eyes, pushing the little bit of food on her plate around. Every once in a while Harry would hear her sniffle or see her hand brush against her rosy cheeks to wipe away a stray tear. They sat in their uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Ron moseyed down the rows of tables to his seat beside Harry.

"Sorry I decked you before," he said as he piled food on his plate. "How's dinner? Good?"

Ron shoveled food into his open mouth and looked up at the silence at the table. "Iz-ebryting-okey? Oo-too-eem-odt." Ron swallowed and filled the silence again. "How's your face, Harry?"

"I'll be okay," he said with a nod. He glanced at Lara, who had given up on pushing around her food and was just staring out off into space while twirling her blond hair on her fingertips.

"What's wrong with her?"

Harry looked at Ron with a slight glare and questioningly. How could Ron not see that Lara was upset because of Harry. Heck, he thought, a new student could probably tell she was angry with him.

"I can hear you," Lara said in a bored tone. She didn't look at either one of them, her eyes still far away from them. She sighed heavily, shook her head and stood from the table. "Find me later," she said to Harry before she left.

Unfortunately, as she was leaving, she once again bumped into Draco Malfoy. He smiled charmingly at her and her shoulders immediately slumped. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head with a small laugh of disbelief. No, he couldn't have just said hello and kept walking. He had to stop her as she was leaving and try to embark on another conversation. Not only was Malfoy talking to her in front of everyone, but Hermione was walking into the Great Hall and did a double take as she passed them. Lara's mind began to wander what Harry's mind was doing, besides thinking of course. Exactly what was he thinking? Did he assume wrongly that there was something between herself and Draco? Serves him right if that was what he was thinking.

As she made her getaway, she wondered whether or not she truly wanted Harry to feel jealous. She wasn't actually sure whether or not she wanted him to think that she could betray him, especially with someone he loathed. And on that walk back to the Gryffindor common room, Lara realized that though she hadn't known Harry very long and even though they hadn't been together very long, she actually cared about him. She cared about him much more than any other boy she had ever known. She realized on that walk that she actually might love him.


	7. A Confession

**Falling into You  
**_By Weasley is my King_

**Chapter Seven**

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

_I can't try any harder than I do _

_All the reasons I gave, _

_Excuses I made for you _

_I'm broken in two _

"Undiscovered" - Ashlee Simpson

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

"You were playing me, weren't you?" Dean said harshly as Ginny was walking down the stairs on her way to dinner. She jumped when she saw him at the bottom of the stairs and laid a hand over her heart with a smile to show him that he'd surprised her.

With her ginger hair back, exposing her pretty face, Dean couldn't help but think how much he wished she wasn't playing him. "Gin," he said, this time standing next to her. "Did you hear me?"

She stopped walking and placed a hand on his arm. "Dean, I'm really sorry." She watched his face fall and his shoulders slump slightly. "Come on, let's just go to dinner and we can talk about all of this later." The pair walked down to the Great Hall together making friendly conversation all along the way, finding that they still had a lot in common and that they both felt comfortable around one another. Inadvertently Ginny linked her fingers through his and they walked hand in hand to dinner.

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

"What was that?" Harry asked, his entire body filling with a warm feeling of rage. He looked from Ron to Hermione, both of who were avoiding each other's eyes, for some kind of answer. "She's friends with him now?"

"You're friends with my sister now?" Ron asked before he even had a chance to think about it. He immediately felt a kick in the shin from Hermione, who was seated across from him. He let out a sound between yelp and a groan. Harry looked at Ron, his eyes wide.

"He didn't mean that, Harry," Hermione said in a maternal tone. She threw a nasty glare at Ron before looking to see if Lara and Malfoy were still talking.

"How can she do this to me, us?!" he exclaimed, throwing his fork down on his plate. "She _knows_ I can't stand him."

"She looked upset at dinner," Ron noted. "She didn't even eat dessert," he said, adding another hefty spoonful to his plate. Hermione rolled her eyes and took a small bite of her own dinner.

"I think you owe her an apology, Harry," Hermione said. "I mean, you…" she seemed to be searching for the most tactful words, "you haven't exactly…. Hmm," she said, giving up. "I just really think you should apologize."

"Apologize?" Harry said, taking a quick swig of pumpkin juice. "She is probably shacking up with him in Filch's _broom closet _when I'm at quidditch practice!" he spouted off in rage. "Why should I apologize to her?"

Hermione's mouth dropped at the crude accusations coming from Harry's mouth about his own girlfriend. If she _ever _found out Ron said _anything_ like that about her, no matter how angry or how off-base he was, their relationship, not just more than friendly relationship but entire relationship, would be over. Forever. Hermione dropped her fork as well, stood from the table with a huff and stormed out of the Great Hall, passing Ginny and Dean on the way. She was too angry to even call attention to Ginny's hand linked with Dean's.

"How can this be happening?" Ron asked rhetorically. "I'm not even hungry anymore," he said, placing his fork on his plate and pushing it away from him. "Oh bloody hell," he said exasperatedly. "And the hits just keep on coming."

Harry looked to see what Ron had been looking at and decided he could take no more. Seeing Ginny and Dean enter the Great Hall together laughing made him want to take his eyes out of his head with a spoon. Harry made a noise that Ron didn't recognize as he stood from the table and headed towards the exit. When would this day be over, he wondered as he left. He was fuming as he left.

Ginny's eyes followed him as he stomped out of the Great Hall, presumably back to the common room, where she guessed both Hermione and Lara were headed. Upon watching her closest friend, her confidant, leave the common room with such determination, Ginny couldn't help but think all of this was because of her. She didn't want Hermione, or Harry for that matter, to be angry with her, but she knew that this who fiasco was because of her. Because she was shallow and competitive. When she passed Lara, she didn't really get a good look at her, but she thought she had heard her sniffle and take a deep breath. Ginny dropped Dean's hand as she sat at the table across from her brother.

Ron rolled his eyes at the sight of his sister and Dean Thomas. The whole mess of a day was because of her. He hoped she knew that. He hoped that she knew that Harry had been punched in the face by his best friend for no reason because he had been manipulated. Ron hoped that Ginny knew that she was leading Dean on, only to throw the fact that she was just using him to get to Harry in his face. He hoped she knew that Hermione was upset because of the way Ron had overreacted and he hoped she knew that Lara was probably sobbing in her room because Harry was angry with her. Ron hoped she knew all of the trouble she caused. He would never admit it out loud, but he wanted her to feel as hurt as the rest of them.

Ron shook his head and stood from the table, giving up on the dessert in front of him. She had been left by everyone, everyone except for Dean. And that was only because he didn't know what was coming. She knew that as soon as he found out what was going on, he'd leave her too and never talk to her again. That she was sure of.

.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.

Lara had been pacing in the common room. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to go straight to her room and wait for Harry to call her down or to go up there and wait until she thought he might return. Just when she thought going upstairs was a good idea, she dismissed the thought and sat down on various pieces of furniture in the room, moving from chair to chair every so often. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail due to her nervous habit of twirling it on her fingertips. She couldn't stand it down and in her face. She had pulled her long bangs back with a couple of bobby pins and she licked her lips nervously. He couldn't stay down there forever; it was only a matter of time before he would return.

There's only so much a girl can take, and she was about at her wits' end when she heard the portrait hole open and saw Harry emerge. Some other students were beginning to filter in and out of the common room, and suddenly, it seemed as though Lara's confidence as well as words were leaving with those leaving the common room. When Harry spotted Lara only a few feet away from him, stopped dead in her tracks but obviously distraught, he only shook his head and let out a cruel laugh. He didn't miss the fact that she was wearing one of his sweat shirts. He strolled right past her towards the staircase to the boys' dormitories. He was on the second step when she finally said his name. He turned around to be nearly face-to-face with her. She had tears in her eyes. He wouldn't crack this time, no. That just wouldn't do.

"Can we please talk?" she pleaded with watery eyes.

He just shrugged, scratching his neck and looking around. _Gotta play it cool_, he reminded himself, _don't be daft_. "Yeah, where?"

"Your room?" she asked, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Come on."

Lara walked silently behind Harry up the stairs and down the all-too-familiar hallway to the room she recognized as Harry's. He entered nonchalantly, dropped onto his bed, kicked off his shoes and laid his head back on his arms crossed behind his head on a pillow. She stood uncomfortably at the foot of his bed, her eyes scanning the walls. Whenever she was up there, she never took notice of the walls, never mind the pictures/posters all four boys had plastered everywhere. She had, however, taken notice of the framed pictures of his parents on the bedside table. Then she thought about how uncomfortable she was feeling, and couldn't remember ever feeling that uncomfortable, especially around Harry.

"You and Malfoy," Harry said, breaking the ice. He hadn't sat up or tried to look at her. "You guys are friends now?"

"No," she said before she took a couple cautious steps closer to him. "Yeah…." She unintentionally tugged on her shirt's hem. "No, of course not." She shook her head. "He just… Harry, I don't know." She dropped onto the side of his bed. "He seems to always know where I am; he finds me in the library, he finds me in the halls, he knows where all of my classes are and he finds me at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I swear he stalks me," she laughed uneasily, hoping to perhaps lighten this awkward moment.

But Harry did not laugh.

"I don't want him to know where I am," she said softly. "It's not like I planned this."

Harry sort of nodded.

"You can't honestly believe I would have _planned_ for all of this to happen," she said incredulously, situating herself cross-legged on his bed, facing him. "You know, I didn't move here so everyone would hate me. If I wanted that, I would have stayed at my old school."

Harry sat up. "What?"

"You know why I transferred here?"

"You told me your dad got transferred and didn't want you going to a school so far away."

"Yeah, partly," she nodded. She paused for a moment, formulating words. "I moved here- we moved here because everyone at my old school… hated me. All the girls… they all hated me. Okay, sure. I was manipulative and I… did steal a couple guys away from my best friends, but it wasn't just me. It was their decision in the end. I didn't have great friends like you do, Harry. Even though I know they don't like me, they love you, and I don't have that. I never have. I thought that if I transferred, I'd get a chance to start over."

Harry said nothing.

"Listen, I don't know what we're gonna do. I mean, your friends… they don't like me. I know that. I don't know _why_, but…" she took a deep breath. "Maybe because I'm not," she bit her lip. "Maybe I'm not Ginny or maybe I come off a little too strong or I don't know. But I can tell you one thing and it's this: I haven't met anyone like you ever that makes me feel the way you do. I know I haven't been here as long as Ron or Hermione or anyone, and maybe I don't know about all of your grief and… suffering, but I know I want to."

What was he supposed to say. He had never heard anyone say anything like this to him before. How does one respond to something like this, he wondered.

"I can't try any harder than I already am. These past few weeks have been pretty great with you and me. I mean, I really love being with you, but since, well, this week has been… crappy. All you've done all week is blow me off and twice today! What am I supposed to do, Harry?

"People ask me if we're still together," she said. "They ask me where you are. Seriously, if first years are asking me if we're still together, there's something wrong. Everyone sees it. Everyone except you it seems like, so you need to tell me what I need to do. Do you need some time away from me? Do we need to break up? What do you want me to do?"

Harry sat up and sat against the headboard. "I don't know," he said after a moment of silence.

"You don't know?" Lara asked incredulously. "I'm sitting here telling you I'll do anything and you don't know what you want?" Then she paused and thought for a moment. "Oh," she said as she nodded slowly and licked her lips. "You know what you want, but I can't give it to you." Lara looped her fingers together and stared at them as though they had become infinitely interesting. "That's it, isn't it?"

"Lar-" Harry said, scooting closer to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. She immediately shrugged him off, covered her mouth and held up her other hand to silence him.

"I know what this is," she said after another awkward moment of silence. "It's karma. It's… I'm… You know why this hurts so bad?" she asked him, turning to face him, her eyes gleaming.

"Why," Harry asked quietly.

"Because I finally admitted to myself that I'd fallen for you," she said.

The doorknob turned and Ron entered. "Oh," he said and quickly shut the door.

Lara stood up from the bed and left the room, her hand covering her eyes, hiding her own embarrassment. She opened the door to find Ron still standing there, looking confused about what to do because he couldn't go in his room. He waved lamely at Lara, who didn't even see him wave, and watched her run down the stairs.


End file.
